Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[ZeroToInfinity]

Id steer clear from bumblebees or anything 'bee' as it's a combo with spider in it.

The spider morph is linked to a neurological condition where the snake may not know up from down, be able to right itself if on it's back, will 'wobble', corkscrew, etc. How bad the neurological condition is will vary from snake to snake, but I know of a few keepers who have chosen to euthanise their spider ball pythons due to lack of quality of life.

Spider, champagne, hidden gene woma, woma, super spotnose and super sable all suffer from neurological disorders. Some combinations such as super spider, super champagne, etc are lethal.

I'm probably in the minority anyway in feeling the morph trade is highly unethical due to the fact that welfare is often sacrificed for convenience, rampant inbreeding, enablement of hoarding and trophy keeping, etc...

Mother nature does it best anyways after all

I didn't know that. I'll certainly do more research!

[Sixx O'Clock]

I definitely agree when it comes to the more "exotic" or "fancy" morphs in ball pythons. I'll always like a plain old ball python more than a morph because I know that the plain one will be healthier and live a fuller life.

[Catsplat18]

+1 for avoiding any morph with the spider gene.
Also enigma in leopard geckos.
And any scaleless, silky, or leatherback reptiles of any kind.

As for more "fancy" ball pythons, I love the pied ones and there aren't any problems that I know of. But a plain ol' wild-type is gorgeous too.

[Catsplat18]

He's sooo cute! I'm glad you rescued him. And hey, I also have a (Russian) tortoise and a leopard gecko!

thank you!! I’ll be sure to tell him that lol <3

that’s so cool !! :^O what are their names ?

i’m currently thinking about investing some time and money into adopting another reptile to add to my family, but the problem is that everything is so expensive these days :’o) my options for my next reptile is either a blue tongued skink, a ball Python (thinking about getting a high end morph since i love their patterns, plus they’re just beautiful and sweet snakes in general), or a chameleon (which i will most definitely name rango, haha)! my other option is getting an amphibian instead, specifically a pac-man frog since they’re relatively cheap (about twenty five to thirty bucks) at my local reptile and exotic animals shop !

My tortoise is Ms. T (super creative, I know). She is from the SPCA and gets to roam in the yard (weather permitting) for most of the day. At home she has a large/low Exo-Terra (36” x 18” x 12”) which is honestly the bare minimum but since she's outside almost every single day for most of the day, it's fine. (It's a fenced yard, no predators except for maybe red-tailed hawks but probably not, no poisonous plants, no danger, mild weather all the time.)

My gecko is Crowley, named after a character from Good Omens. He was my cousin's (and was named Licky), but he was being neglected and ignored so I was allowed to take him. He came with a 20-gallon long, but I need to upgrade it, since he's huge!

I agree that everything is so expensive. Or dirt cheap for a reptile-mill animal from a pet store, unfortunately. And even if the reptile is cheap, the cage setup will set you back hundreds. At least reptiles rarely need to go to the vet.

I really want a blue-tongue as well! I'm not allowed snakes but I hope to get a few in the future. Chameleons are great but I wouldn't want one because I hear they are the exact opposite of hardy and I am awful with maintaining humidity. I don't know much about amphibians, but I will warn you that most chain pet stores probably import pac-mans from the wild (even though they are readily bred in captivity by hobbyists). Make sure your pet store has captive-bred animals or order online (if you are in the US, Josh's Frogs is a wonderful company that only sells captive-bred animals).

[Targaryen]

Since many aren't aware, here's a full list of morphs that are defective in snakes.

Ball Pythons:


Reticulated Python Morph issues:
- Super Golden child: Wobble
- Jaguar: Wobble
- Super Platinums/Super Ivories: intestinal issues, high mortality rates
- Cow: Many have gastrointestinal issues originating from one bad clutch.

Common Boas
Super Motley: Usually die around 1-2 years of age
Kahl Albino: Some are prone to congenital eye defects due to a history of severe inbreeding in the gene
Super Jungle/Arabesque: prone to early death, weak livers, and infertility
Super Aztec: seem to suffer from lack of coordination
Blizzard: many blizzards seem to suffer from a lethal gene
Scoria: Wobble syndrome

Carpet Python
Jaguar: Neurological issues similar to spider puthons
Super Jag/Ivory: Lethal
Granite: inbred individuals are often deformed

Corn Snakes
Caramel: Enlarged heart, weakness and sudden death
Striped: Enlarged heart, weakness and sudden death
Sunkissed: prone to stargazing, though this is seen in other morphs as well
Amel/Albino: known to cause issues in other species and sight problems
Scaleless: Similar issues as other scaleless species

Texas Rat Snake
Leucistics: bug-eyes

Not a conclusive list by any means, these are just the more common genes or more well known issues.

[Sixx O'Clock]

My boyfriend just got a leopard gecko from his mom for Christmas. She gave it to him to help ease the pain of losing his beloved pup, Cappuccino. He named it Spike, and he's such a cutie! I've been giving him tips and pointers about caring for it, and things are going well so far. The only thing that's been an issue is that he's got Spike on sand, but I talked to him about it and he's agreed to buy some repti-carpet instead.

[PetiteDoggo]

I used Repti-Carpet, and I really didn't like it that much. My beardie always got his nails caught in the fibers. What I ended up doing was getting a yard of vinyl from Wal-Mart and cutting it to fit in his tank. No more caught nails. The vinyl is also easier to clean.

[Sixx O'Clock]

I used Repti-Carpet, and I really didn't like it that much. My beardie always got his nails caught in the fibers. What I ended up doing was getting a yard of vinyl from Wal-Mart and cutting it to fit in his tank. No more caught nails. The vinyl is also easier to clean.

Oooh that's actually a really good idea. I'll suggest that instead. Well, that or just plain old paper towels.

[mandalorian]

hi everyone! as i write this, i have my baby bearded dragon mochi climbing up all over my arms and my chest rn ahaha. i figured since ive had him for about a month and a half now, i should introduce them to this thread!

i dont know mochi's gender yet since itll be a few months wait, i have an inkling theyre a male because of his dramatic attitude and how sassy he is. he's definitely a biter but they've gotten a lot better over the past month and a half.
he's literally attacking my computer screen because he sees a photo of himself. i dont think he likes it

anyway!! hes a fancy red leatherback and his red absolutely SHINES under heat. he loves his crickets and will literally attack ur fingies if he sees you holding one for em, and he hates his head being touched.
also bath time means "splash angrily at parent until they remove me from the tub" time for mochi apparently
anyway, thought i'd introduce him and myself, i'll probably pop by for questions. he's my first dragon and ive had some scares so far (bulging eyes... didnt know that was a thing and it horrified me) but its all going smoothly so far!
mochi & me say hi for now !

[Catsplat18]

hi everyone! as i write this, i have my baby bearded dragon mochi climbing up all over my arms and my chest rn ahaha. i figured since ive had him for about a month and a half now, i should introduce them to this thread!

i dont know mochi's gender yet since itll be a few months wait, i have an inkling theyre a male because of his dramatic attitude and how sassy he is. he's definitely a biter but they've gotten a lot better over the past month and a half.
he's literally attacking my computer screen because he sees a photo of himself. i dont think he likes it

anyway!! hes a fancy red leatherback and his red absolutely SHINES under heat. he loves his crickets and will literally attack ur fingies if he sees you holding one for em, and he hates his head being touched.
also bath time means "splash angrily at parent until they remove me from the tub" time for mochi apparently
anyway, thought i'd introduce him and myself, i'll probably pop by for questions. he's my first dragon and ive had some scares so far (bulging eyes... didnt know that was a thing and it horrified me) but its all going smoothly so far!
mochi & me say hi for now !

As far as I know, leatherbacks do not have any health issues and it is the silkbacks/silkies/scaleless monstrosities that should never be bred. However, there are two ways to breed a leatherback, and one also produces silkbacks. I hope your breeder was a responsible one. Good luck with your new beardie, (s)he's adorable!